GUEST CHILDREN

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 June 1940, Page 8

GUEST CHILDREN

CHRISTCHURCH OFFERS. [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.) CHRISTCHURCH, June 28. About 2000 offers to provide homes for children evacuated from Great Britain have been received by the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.). The Christchurch City Council is the organising body in the Christchurch zone under the Government’s scheme to provide homes for these children.

Clergy representing all denominations of Christchurch, at a meeting called by the Mayor to-day, offered the whole-hearted support of their churches to the Government in planning the reception of the children. It was decided to appeal from the pulpits for offers to provide homes for the children. Each denomination is to nominate a member of a committee which will undertake the work of selecting foster parents from those who offer homes for children. After welcoming the delegates, the Mayor said he thought it would be better to use the term “guest children” rather than “refugee,” as had recently been suggested by the Mayor of Wellington;

WELLINGTON PLANS.

WELLINGTON, June 28.

The scheme under which it is proposed to bring out children from Britain was placed before local bodies in the Wellington district at a meeting of representatives in Wellington to-day. Necessary arrangements for getting offers from people to take these children were made. The Mayor of Wellington (Mr T. C. A. Hislop), who presided, particularly emphasised that people taking children would have to accept full responsibility, financial and otherwise. The meeting .decided to avoid the term refugee and call the evacuees little Britons.

NO PANIC MOVEMENT.

WELLINGTON, June 28.

Advice received in " New Zealand yesterday from official sources states that it was authoritatively pointed out in London that the arrangements now being made to evacuate British children to the Dominions were in no waj r to be regarded as a panic movement. Rather, they represented the determination of the British Government to make of Great Britain an island fortress.

Naturally the more offers that were received the more easily this object could be achieved.

N. AUCKLAND SCHEME

WHANGAREI, June 29

A conference of the chairmen of local bodies in the seven northern counties was held at the invitation of the Whangarei Borough Council, which has been made responsible by the Government for the direction of plans for accommodating little Britons on their arrival from England. The Government’s plan, with' minor alterations, was unanimously adopted. It was stated that homes would be available for up to 100 children, but it is expected that the Northland allocation will be about 30. It was suggested that the children should be provided with homes in the country, rather than in towns and cities.

INTEREST AT GREYMOUTH Keen interest is being taken in the West Coast zone, in the scheme for giving homes to children evacuated, from Britain for the duration of the war. The Mayor of Greymouth (Mr. F. A. Kitchingham) has already received between.2o and 30 applications from persons desirous of taking children. In connection with the meeting to be held at Greymouth next Wednesday evening, it is explained' by the Mayor that this will not be ja public gathering, but will be restricted to representatives of local bodies, for the purpose of making the necessary arrangements to co-operate with the zone headquarters at Greymouth. j